Dealing with Qualifications: Should You Apply or Not?

One thing that you should always remember when searching for a job is that you need to be fully aware of the job description. You must understand the workload, requirements, and qualifications before you apply for it. Every company has different ways of determining whether you’re qualified for the job or not. You just have to give it a try so you can find out.

So, why is it important to completely understand the job description?

It can help you during the interview to talk about yourself and why you seem to be the most outstanding candidate for the job;

It can assist you in deciding whether you really want the job or not;

It can give you an understanding of whether it’s the right kind of job for you; and

It can aid you in determining whether it’s worth your time or not.

Once you find an interesting job posting, review the job description and then ask yourself, “Am I really qualified for the job?” It’s a perfectly valid question. Try contemplating the possible outcomes.

What if you find a single qualification in the job description that is not included in your list of skills and capabilities? Should you still continue to apply for the job? Are you willing to take the risk? There are a number of questions, but there’s only one question that can summarize all of them: How do you know if you’re suitable or qualified for the job?

Numbers don’t mean a thing when it comes to years of experience unless you are on the entry level. If you’re worried about having just one year of experience when applying for a job that requests a person with four years of experience, calm down and relax. As long as you’re confident that you were able to show your previous boss an extraordinary performance in that one year of experience, you don’t have anything to fear. As someone who did a lot of work in a short span of time, maybe you should try your luck.

Always remember that you can learn anything only if you are willing to do so. If there is a skill that you’re not good at but it’s on the list of qualifications, learn that skill. There are easy ways to get educated on these skills, such as asking a friend or a friend’s friend to teach you for free or in exchange of a movie/coffee treat. You just have to be resourceful, patient, and persevering. In the end, whether you get the job or not, you learned something new, at least.

Ask yourself, “Would you hire you?” Imagine that you are the interviewer; put yourself in his or her shoes, and then think about whether you would hire yourself. Why or why not? Take time to analyze yourself and find out if there’s something wrong. If there is, what is it? If you think there’s none—are you sure? Don’t be afraid to criticize yourself, but also, don’t go overboard and lose confidence.

“Are you really qualified for the job?” This is actually a question that only you can answer. Be confident and try to evaluate yourself to see if you’re really right for the job. If you’re missing something but there’s a way to compensate, do it. If there’s a problem with your qualifications, solve it. Follow your heart. You know what you want, and you know what you’re capable of. You just have to figure out how to deal with it and work with it.

Alan is the creator of Interview Success Formula, a training program that has helped more than 40,000 job seekers to ace their interviews and land the jobs they deserve. Interviewers love asking curveball questions to weed out job seekers. But the truth is, most of these questions are asking about a few key areas. Learn more about how to outsmart tough interviewers by watching this video.